Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 sweet potato, scrubbed with ends cut off, sliced into 3/4 inch thick rounds
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Pepper

Line baking sheet with silpat. Spray sweet potato rounds with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet, then cover with tinfoil. Place pan in a cold oven. 

Turn oven on to 425 F and cook for 30 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and discard foil. Return potatoes to the oven and cook for 7-8 additional minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and flip sweet potatoes. Continue roasting until bottom edges are golden brown, approximately 4-5 additional minutes. Let potatoes cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

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This is my favorite recipe for sweet potatoes. They are super creamy on the inside with a nice caramelized exterior. Recipes modified from Cooks Illustrated Vegetables cookbook.   

Spicy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Spicy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/

2 LB gold potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 LB carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup oil
2-4 TBSP Hot Sauce
2 tsp. Fresh ground pepper
3 tsp. Smoked paprika
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Diced potatoes, then layer on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat.  Mix together oil, hot sauce and spices.  Drizzle over potatoes and mix well to evenly cover all potatoes.

Roast in oven, stirring occasionally until nicely browned (60-75 minutes).

Crispy Oven Baked Fries

Crispy Oven Baked Fries
Adapted from The Purple Foodie www.savoryseasonings.blogspot.com

8 garlic cloves, minced (or grated using a zester)
6 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
5-6 medium russet potatoes, each cut into 12 wedges
3 TBSP arrowroot powder, tapioca starch or corn starch
1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. chipotle Pepper
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. paprika  

Preheat oven to 440° F.  Combine the garlic and oil in a small sauce pan, warming it until the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.   Bring a large stock pot to a boil, then par-boil the potatoes for 8 minutes, then let them dry by laying them in a single layer on a kitchen towel for a few minutes.  Combine the arrowroot powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, chipotle pepper and paprika in a small bowl. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the spices over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat.  Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and garlic.  Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or crinkled tinfoil.  Drizzle the olive oil/garlic mixture over the potatoes, then bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

   

*****

A huge thanks to The PurpleFoodie for this amazing recipe!  These fries are super crispy, with the perfect amount of spice.  We have made these several times, varying the recipe a little bit each time.  Arrowroot powder and tapioca starch work equally as well.  Crinkling tinfoil as the base on the cookie sheet does help the fries cook more quickly without the need to turn the fries as much.  A Silpat works well too.  These fries do have a lot of heat with the cayenne pepper, for a milder fry, skip the cayenne all together.

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/

1 head of cauliflower (fresh, not frozen)
1 TBSP olive oil
Salt

Select cauliflower that is uniformly white and blemish-free with green, non-wilted leaves. Rinse cauliflower under cold water right before you're ready to use it. Remove and discard outer leaves. Using a sharp knife, cut off stem and discard. Remove core from cauliflower and discard. Break or cut cauliflower into small florets (about the size of your thumb is best), then place on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt. Place oven rack slightly higher than the middle of the oven and roast at 450° F for 20 minutes. Stir every 5-10 minutes for even roasting.


*****
After you try this, I promise you will be craving cauliflower. My husband and I will eat an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting and fight for the last piece when it has been roasted like this. The roasting brings out the natural sweetness and the browned crunchy edges are the best part. Try it. You’ll love it.

This is a perfect appetizer to make while your oven pre heats your pizza stone for pizza. We make pizza a few times a month and I like to cook some vegetables before the pizzas are ready so we fill up a little on veggies before we dive into the pizzas. When working with a pizza stone your oven needs to pre heat for 30 minutes or so to get the stone nice and hot. Might as well roast some cauliflower while the oven is on and enjoy this treat while your pizza cooks.

Spicy Oven-Baked Fries

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. oregano
8-12 medium potatoes, washed and left unpeeled
olive or canola oil

Combine all spices in a bowl. Slice potatoes lengthwise into ½” thick pieces. Turn and slice again lengthwise making large french fry type pieces. Place on cookie sheet lined with a silpat. Drizzle with oil to coat lightly. Toss with hands. Spread evenly over pan, then sprinkle with seasonings and toss again. Bake at 470° F for 20-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until light brown and crispy.

Optional: Sprinkle cheese over fries during the last few minutes of baking.

*****
Hands down, THIS spice mixture beats all spicy fry recipes I’ve tried. It’s AMAZING!!! Thanks to Emily at My Muffin Thursdays for this great recipe! It does have a lot of kick to it, so if you want to tone it down, then reduce the amount of paprika and cayenne.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

5 large potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
1/4-1/2 cup chicken broth
2 TBSP minced fresh chives

Scrub and quarter potatoes; place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add enough salt until the water tastes a little salty, and then add garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. In the bowl of a mixer, mix on a low speed with a flat paddle until smooth, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and chives, and beat on a medium speed until all broth is absorbed, about 30 seconds. Scrape bowl with spatula and exchange flat beater for a wire whip. Whip on high for 2-3 minutes.
*****
I admit I’m not a huge fan of mashed potatoes. I like them and eat them, but they are never my favorite part of a meal because they seem so bland. I’ve experimented adding a few different things to my potatoes to make them a little more flavorful and really like this recipe. The broth adds more flavor than the traditional recipe of adding milk. I also love the light hint of garlic and chives mixed in with the potatoes- these really are good.

Roasted Vegetables

6 potatoes, cubed into ½” pieces
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery sticks, diced
Canola oil
Spices

Place vegetables on cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil to coat lightly. Toss with hands. Spread evenly over pan, then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and your favorite spices such as garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika and oregano. Bake at 470° F for 20-40 minutes until light brown and crispy edges. Spices may be omitted.


*****
This is such a simple side dish but one of our favorites. We make this at least once a week. This dish is also good with just a little salt and pepper.

Avocado, Tomato and Corn Salsa

¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
½ tsp. salt

1 ripe avocado, chopped
1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
1 large tomato, diced
¼ cup red onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ½ cup black beans

Combine lime juice, sugar, olive oil and salt. Add remaining ingredients, toss to coat. Chill for at least one hour. Serve with tortilla chips or use as a topping for your favorite Mexican dish.


*****
Thanks to my mom, for this great recipe. This is one of my favorite snacks- amazing flavor! When limes go on sale for .06 or .07 each, I buy a bunch and juice them all, then freeze the juice in ice cube trays, then once frozen transfer to a freezer ziplock bag until ready to use. This way I always have fresh lime juice on hand for salsa’s, guacamole dips, salad dressings and other Mexican dishes.

Fresh Salsa

3 TBSP chopped onion, finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, minced
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2-3 TBSP minced cilantro
2 TBSP fresh lime juice or juice from one lime
salt
pepper

Place chopped onion and garlic in strainer, pour 2 cups of boiling water over them and drain (to mellow flavors). Discard water.

Combine onions and garlic with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate 2-4 hours to blend flavors. Makes 2 cups.

Oven Baked French Fries

Slice potatoes lengthwise into ½” thick pieces. Turn and slice again lengthwise making large french fry type pieces. Place on cookie sheet lined with a silpat. Drizzle with oil to coat lightly. Toss with hands. Spread evenly over pan, then sprinkle with salt. Bake at 470° F for 20-40 minutes until light brown and crispy.

Optional: Sprinkle cheese over fries during the last few minutes of baking.

Buttery Seasoned Rice

2 cups cold water
2 tsp. salt
1 cup long grain rice

2 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup toasted almonds

Combine water, salt and rice in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, at 50% power for 7 minutes. Rinse well.

Fry with 3 TBSP butter until rice just starts to turn golden brown (10-15 minutes).



Return rice back to microwave safe bowl, add chicken broth and cook 18 minutes, uncovered in microwave. Add almonds, sprinkle with parsley then cook for 2 more minutes.